This post and other top-level post in this thread have issues with account recovery.
Google tends to follow a playbook when it comes to account recovery, and if you can't check one of the boxes to get through, they won't let you back in. This is to stop account takeovers via support (which are known attack vectors people use against other companies, like cell phone providers).
While it's frustrating to lose access to you account, it is the tradeoff Google has made to try to keep your account safe.
And as far as Google employees being able to help, that channel has mainly been closed. Even if you know a Googler and have lost access to your account, the Googler will likely just tell you to follow the account recovery help page[0].
Which other companies? How did they solve the problem?
If you involve a human, you're going to get socially engineered. It's not a question of "if", but "when" - especially if you're a high-value target where user accounts are valuable.
Google tends to follow a playbook when it comes to account recovery, and if you can't check one of the boxes to get through, they won't let you back in. This is to stop account takeovers via support (which are known attack vectors people use against other companies, like cell phone providers).
While it's frustrating to lose access to you account, it is the tradeoff Google has made to try to keep your account safe.
And as far as Google employees being able to help, that channel has mainly been closed. Even if you know a Googler and have lost access to your account, the Googler will likely just tell you to follow the account recovery help page[0].
(I'm a googler, opinions are my own)
[0] https://support.google.com/accounts/answer/7682439?hl=en